Forever Lost
by gabs097
Summary: She has always been lost. Being alone is a part of her. She's used to it. But what happens when all those years being lost are obliterated by finding a home in the most unexpected person? What happens when being Lost... is in her Blood?
1. Strangers In The Night

Chapter One

There were rumors about that church. There was talk on the street about a demon-worshipping sect that lived there like a tribe. Some people said Freemasons convened there sometimes. But no, none of those rumors were true. She was the only one that could see. The only one that saw many things. The only one that dared entered… ever. The rain lashing down on her, pasting her long brown hair to her skin seemed like an omen. And the white-hot lightning and bone-shaking thunder almost made her turn back. But she didn't. This was the only safe place where she could live. No one even came in that place. People crossed to the other side of the street so as to not pass it. It was abandoned, wet, cold… just like her.

She opened the steel, black gate and a straining wail disrupted the suddenly quiet night; it had stopped raining abruptly. She walked up the steps and saw the image of the abandoned and shabby church and saw it was now a majestic structure. Clean, sharp… but still cold. No wonder people didn't even want to look at the forlorn church; the edifice gave off an imperious, almost ominous feeling. The church door was very large, a huge troll could've passed through with no problem.

There she went again. Why did I always have to think about mythical creatures and supernatural people and angels and demons, she thought. The nuns waved it off as an over-active imagination back when she was little but as she got older they reproached her when she talked about it, saying she should stop daydreaming and keep her feet on the ground, to grow up.

She sighed and went to open the large door. It was locked. She sighed and placed both hands on the wet, slippery wood and pushed. Nothing. She groaned and pushed with all her strength yet it didn't budge. Let me in. Just let me in. I just want refuge. Let me in. Suddenly, with a loud creak the wooden church door opened wide into a large parlor room. It was simple, not much, but it surprised her. The furniture didn't look old, sure, maybe a little worn out but they were clean and kept up-to-date. Maybe Freemasons did meet up in here. She saw a black, impermeable jacket lying on the floor near a coat-hanger and pair of bright pink stilettos on the hall. Where was I? she thought. She walked silently towards the hall where the pink heels lay haphazardly, almost as if they didn't belong. She saw an antique elevator with black railing covered in rust on some parts. She opened the railing and a loud creaking made her flinch. If anyone was here they must've heard her. She walked inside the elevator where it was cool. With yet another groaning creaking the elevator jerked upwards. She waited and the railing opened and a huge ball of fur lunged towards my face. She caught it when it was millimeters from her and gasped when she saw it was a blue Persian cat.

"Hello, boy?" she said checking his sex. "Yes, boy."

Te cat purred and snuggled towards her neck where it's soft fur tickled her.

"Well, that's a first," said a voice from outside the elevator.

She lowered the fluffy cat and met with a pair of beautiful, golden eyes, messy, curly blonde hair and the face of an angel.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked a little nervously but with a firm I-take-no-shit-from-no-one voice.

The golden boy lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "I could ask you the same question."

"Tell me your name and I'll tell you mine," she said boldly, stepping out of the elevator and putting the Persian down on the floor.

He smiled the most enchanting and charming smile. She didn't meet or talked with many boys, only the ones at the orphanage and they were mostly little children and the oldest one was two years younger and he suffered schizophrenia. Thinking of the orphanage made her heart clench and her eyes water.

Golden boy's face softened and took a step closer. "Easy, you don't have to cry, I'll tell you. My name is Jace—" he hesitated for a second and his eyes grew dark. "Jace Lightwood," he said vehemently, as if daring someone to deny it.

She stared at him studiously. "Hello, Jace Lightwood," she said extending a small, pale, wet, shivering hand and he shook it with his own large, warm and soft one. "I'm Dru Dukas."

"And you're a Shadowhunter," he said with an incriminating smile.

She gaped at him not processing his words. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come one," he said crossing his arms. "Don't play dumb."

"I-I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talk—"

"Where are your Marks anyways?"

"What?" she asked genuinely baffled.

Jace realized, by the honestly confused look on her face, that this girl truly didn't know what she was. "You're one of us," he said extending his hand motioning the church. "You're part of a demon-killing race."

She took two steps back. "What are you talking about? You're crazy," she said, already looking for an escape route.

"You don't have to be afraid," he said mesmerizingly. She wanted to believe everything he said… but she couldn't.

"Yes I do! Get away from me!" she yelled as he grabbed her arm. His grip was iron-strong and she struggled to free herself from him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Dru!" he yelled. "Please, I can explain all the things you see!"

How did he know that I could see… things? she thought. "SHUT UP!" She kicked him on his left rib and he staggered back and tripped.

She ran towards the church door but an arm circled her waist and another one muffled her mouth.

"Getfawymfromme!" she yelled but obviously Jace didn't, or wouldn't, understand.

"I'm sorry, Dru," he whispered in her ear. "I didn't want to do this."

He dragged her through the hall and pushed her in a room as he closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" she yelled storming towards him but he held her away. "This is kidnap!"

He rolled his eyes. "Would you stop throwing yourself at me. It's not as attractive as it may seem."

Dru was fuming. "Who do you think you are?" she said through clenched teeth.

He gave her a blinding smile. "I think I'm Jace Lightwood but next thing you know I might really be Jace— oh, I don't know— Bane?"

"What are you talking about?" she yelled exasperated, crossing her arms.

"Can you sit? And I'll explain everything. It's a lot to take in, Dru."

She stared at him. He looked sincere enough. Of course, his angelic looks did help to his advantage. "Fine—"

"JACE!" yelled a girl's voice from down the hall.

Jace turned pale and grabbed her arm and pushed her inside his bathroom putting a finger on his lips to shush her. Dru was about to protest but he had already slammed the door on her face.

She sighed and sat on the toilet seat. She heard Jace talk with a very loud girl. She seemed to be angry about a pair of shoes she couldn't find. She thought about the pink heels downstairs and she was pretty sure those were the lost shoes the girl was talking about.

A loud slam sounded through the room and Jace opened the door looking shaken, mostly in an annoyed and confused way.

"You're all wet," he said abruptly as Dru stood up from the cold toilet seat.

"Yes, I was in the rain just now," she said giving him a weird look.

"Dang, I'm sorry," he said walking to his drawers. "You must be freezing."

"Ain't that the truth," she murmured and he looked up.

"Why were you in the rain?"

"Um… it's just that—oh, dear—," she stammered and felt like a lowly fool in his godlike presence. "I'm a—"

Right then Jace noticed her sickly skin, purple shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep and gaunt figure; she looked unhealthily skinny. Her long dark brown hair was matted and in knots. She looked like a mess. "Where have you been?" he whispered.

Dru looked down at her feet and played with the broken zipper of her damp jacket. "I'm… I've been in the streets this past week," she said meekly.

Jace's eyes widened. "Alone? Unprotected? But you're a Shadowhunter!"

She looked at him with a mixture of skepticism, fear and tiredness. "Actually, I escaped from my… orphanage and have I been trying to survive…"

"Weren't you attacked? Not even once?" Jace asked astounded at her being alive.

Dru shook her head slowly, her teeth chattering.

He sighed and ran a hand trough his head. "Oh dear Raziel," he whispered and walked around the room only to find himself exactly where he had been, crouched by his drawers.

He turned towards me and threw me some clothes. "You can change and give me your wet clothes, I'll take care of 'em." He looked me up and down. "You're pretty tall so—"

"W-wait!" she said interrupting his whirlwind. "What- I can't… Why—?"

He grinned and his whole face lit up. "Are you afraid I might try something?" he said coolly. "Take a shower, relax. There's shampoo on the cabinet under the skin. I'll bring you some food. Don't worry, you'll be safe here."

She had a feeling she was blushing. But no, she never blushed. Well, she did but people never saw it. You couldn't see the blood rushing to her cheeks. Thank God, she thought. He must've noticed her hesitating 'cause he rolled his eyes with a cocky smirk on his lips and he shut the bathroom door. She waited until she heard the main door close. She sighed and stripped off her clingy, cold, wet clothes and piled them in a mushy mount. She stepped inside the cream-tiled shower and started it. Freezing cold water hit her and she flinched. She quickly stepped out of the shower and someone knocked on the door.

"I need your clothes if you want me to wash them," said Jace in a sing-song voice.

"Wait a minute!" she yelled back, annoyed.

She picked up the little wet pile and opened the door to a slit. She slipped her arm through it and Jace took the clothes. He pushed the door close but she stooped it.

"Wait!"

"What?" he groaned.

"I-I need… um… underwear," she whispered shakily.

"What do you want me to do?" he said and she could hear a smirk on his mouth.

"You wouldn't have a bra perhaps… or panties—"

"Don't say that word!" he yelled.

"Sorry! Well, do you have pan—?"

"What did I just say, woman?" he yelled opening the door a little wider. He leaned his head closer and whispered. "Look, no one can know you're here yet, okay? There are four very annoying people in this Institute—"

"Institute?" she asked.

He made an impatient sound. "I'll explain later but no one must know about you… yet. So, you're gonna spend, like, two days, three days tops, without proper underwear."

"But I can't go around without a bra! Let alone pan—"

"Ah-ah!" Jace interjected. "Do not say the word."

"Gosh, you're so immature," she muttered.

He stepped away from the door and she went to feel the water. It was searing hot. Just the way se liked it. She heard Jace's steps and she pressed the side of her body on the bathroom door while opening it a tiny slit.

"Here," he said handing her a pair of…

"Boxers? Are you crazy?"

"Shhh! They might hear you!" he said knocking on the door.

"Someone's grumpy," she said earning her a middle finger from Jace. She thumped his forearm which was disturbingly close to her naked body. "I am not wearing your underwear!" she spat at him.

"They're brand-new! I just got them from the pack," he said shoving them on her face.

"Stop! Stop it," she said snatching the blue, plaid boxers from his hand. She felt the stiff fabric meaning they were new. She sniffed them for good measure and they smelled like plastic. Good, she thought.

"Okay, fine, thanks," she said closing the door softly.

He chuckled and she heard the door to his room open and close quietly. She was smiling as she slipped into the steamy shower.

***

The bathroom door opened slowly, letting out a cloud of steam and Dru walked out wearing a slightly over-sized long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves past her fingers and a pair of green basket ball shorts that grazed the bottom of her knees. Actually, those pants grazed the bottom of Jace's knees. She was tall. She crossed her arms over her chest as she averted her gaze.

Jace smiled and placed the copy of The Plague by Albert Camus that he was reading. "I'm not going to rape you," he said pointing at a big bowl of hot, chicken noodle soup on his dresser. Dru's pupils dilated at the sight of her first decent meal in a week and Jace watched as she ravenously drank it.

She sighed and glared at him while slurping on a noodle. "I know that. I just don't like being alone with a boy in his room wearing his clothes and underwear. Without a bra!"

Jace grinned amused and patted his bed as he stood up and walked to an armchair on the far corner of the room.

She looked at him curiously as he plopped down on the cold chair. "You're giving up your bed?" she said impressed.

"To help a damsel in distress? Always," he said with a wink.

She uncrossed her arms and he stared at her. She saw him looking and crossed them back furiously. "You're such a perv!" she said sitting down on his bed. Her long, tan legs splayed on the starched, white sheets.

He smirked. "No, I'm just a seventeen-year old boy."

She rolled her eyes and looked at the copy of The Plague. She opened it on her lap and began reading where he left off while taking the last spoonfuls of the soup. The girl had been hungry.

"You might want to start on page one," Jace said patronizingly.

She didn't look up. "I already read it," she said softly.

"You don't strike me as a reader," he said honestly.

This time she looked up. "Neither do you," she said giving him a friendly smile and slipping her hair behind her ear.

"Touché."

A knock, or more like a pounding, on the door startled Jace and he looked up at Dru. She nodded and ran to the bathroom.

He walked to the door and opened it. A blur of red shot past him and he turned around to see Clary rummaging through his things.

"Can I help you?" he asked a little offended at this invasion of privacy.

She looked up and stared at him with those sweet, green eyes of hers. "I can't find my sketch pad!"

Jace leaned on the wall as he amused himself with watching Clary fly through his room like a little, redheaded bumblebee searching for honey.

"And why on earth would your sketch pad be here?" he asked.

"I don't know but I can't find it anywhere!" she said storming towards the bathroom.

In a second he had blocked her path making her jump. "Jesus, Jace! What is your problem?"

"Yeah, your sketchpad's not here," he said pushing her away from the bathroom door.

"Uh… can't I look?" she asked as he walked her out of the room.

"Yeah, not really."

"Jace, you let me—"

Jace din't hear the rest of the sentence because he slammed the door in her face before she could say anything else he might regret hearing. He sighed and locked the door just in case.

"You can come out now," he said and Dru walked out of the bathroom giving him a suspicious look.

"Was that the same girl that was looking for her shoes?" she asked returning to the place on Jace's bed as she fingered The Plague looking for the page she was on.

"No, that's Clary," he said softly. "The one looking for her shoes is Isabelle," He said, emphasizing Isabelle's name in a way it clearly let you know she was something.

"Oh," she said noticing his hesitating on Clary. "So is Isabelle your…?" she left the question hang.

"She's my sister," he said.

"Oh," she repeated but didn't ask anything else.

Jace sat on the armchair and tried to get comfortable. "Are you planning on sleeping there?" she asked surprised.

"Uh, yes," he said turning on his side.

"Oh, no," she said getting up. "Thank you but… I thought you were joking. Oh, please, no—"

He held up a hand. "Don't even think about it. You're sleeping on the bed and that's that."

She sighed but slipped under the sheets. "Are you sure—?"

"Yes," he muttered in an annoyed voice.

"Sorry," she whispered.

He hugged his knees to his chest and laid his head on the hand rest where it lay in an uncomfortable position. He sighed and sucked it up and was finally getting sleepy when…

"Hey, Jace," she called in the darkness of the room.

"What?" he groaned groggily.

"Aren't you going to explain everything to me? After all, you're just a boy living on a church with four other people I haven't met and you're holding me hostage in your room," she said neither approvingly or disapprovingly, more like she was stating a fact.

He looked up and a sharp pain shot on the said of his neck. "I'll tell you in the morning, Dru."

She sighed and he heard the bed creak. "Fine, but please don't rape me."

He chuckled. "It wouldn't be rape if you agreed to it."

She gasped offended and sat up. "And how would you know I'd agree to it."

"Just a feeling," he said with a smile and he actually heard her laugh. For the first time. It was a ringing laugh. Joyous and true.

"Good night, Jace," she whispered softly. Her voice as smooth as a drop of morning dew on a leaf.

"Good night, Dru. Sweet dreams." 


	2. At Last I'm Home

Chapter Two

The warm, sunset sunlight poured through the window waking Dru up and turning her vision blurry. Se had slept in. For a long time. Gosh, what would Jace think? she thought. He'd think she was a lazy sack who just wanted a place to crash. But no, he had said he would explain everything to her. But how? How did he know about the things Dru saw everyday since forever? The essence of her childhood nightmares? For some strange reason Jace seemed to know this. He seemed to experience it also, but… A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it off with Jace's shirt. It smelled like soap, clean. She noticed she was alone. Jace's chair was empty and that made her nervous. What if they, Jace's sister, the other two people and the weird girl, found me? thought Dru. She walked to the bathroom and stayed there for what felt like fifteen minutes until she heard the door open.

"Dru?" called Jace and she opened the bathroom door.

"Jace?"

"Oh, thank the Angel," he said pushing his golden curls back. "I thought you had gone to… explore."

She glared at him. "Where are my clothes?" she asked crossing her arms.

He smirked. "Are you sure you want them? You look kinda hot in mine."

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you," she said in a clipped voice.

"Okay, then," he said giving Dru her clothes neatly folded. "You can change now."

She nodded and walked to the bathroom. She put on her clothes and looked at her reflection on the mirror. Her long brown hair was straggly and dull but clean. She had shadows under her eyes and she looked emaciated. Not that that was any different from how she usually looked. She sighed and walked out the bathroom.

"Oh—" she yelped as she walked into a shirtless Jace.

He was kneeling down and was rummaging through his drawers. His sculpted back was as golden as his hair. His every fiber seemed to glow with light and his very essence seemed to be made of gold.

She looked towards the ceiling as he stood up holding a black shirt. She noticed he wasn't wearing the faded jeans he had on when he came in but a pair of thick-fabric, black pants and chunky, black, leather boots. A ring glistened on his perfect chest as it hung from a chain around his neck.

"You have to stay here for a while," he said smirking, probably at her aversion. "You can do whatever you want, no one's going to be here. Only Church."

"Where are you going?" she asked placing on his unmade bed the wrinkled clothes she had wore.

He seemed to hesitate for a quick second. "Hunting, like I said, I'll explain everything. Just… later. I promise," he said with the most honest look in his eyes.

She drank in his eyes, his face, his hair, his body, his clothes… for some reason she had grown attached to this boy with the looks of an angel. "I don't know what you're doing exactly but… be careful," she whispered shyly.

Dru looked up at him and his face was stretched into a bright grin showing his somewhat imperfect teeth making him even more charming. "I'm never careful." and with that he left the room slipping his shirt on.

She looked at the closed door with a feeling in her gut that things were going to go very unexpectedly.

***

"Finally," protested Alec as soon as Jace walked in the kitchen where Izzy, Alec and Clary were applying themselves their Marks.

Izzy was done and was finishing up with Alec. Clary was done with herself and was sitting on the counter playing with her stele.

"Do me?" Jace asked and a bright blush appeared on her cheeks.

"It would be my pleasure," she said biting her lower lip, and right then the hot sting of her stele was the only thing stopping Jace from kissing her.

When all of them were Marked and they were walking towards the Institute door, they heard a loud bang, like a large object falling on the floor.

"Dammit," Jace muttered having a pretty sure idea who was responsible.

"What was that?" asked Isabelle turning around quickly.

"Probably Church," muttered Alec ushering everyone outside. "We'll deal with it later. We've got demons to kill now."

***

"There's no one or anything here!" protested Isabelle while Jace searched the place for demon activity with his Sensor.

"Well, we got an alert last night about a nest of Shax demons," said Alec as he walked around the abandoned warehouse.

"I'm not getting anything from the Sensor, guys," Jace said, scanning the place one last time but the contraption didn't even detect leftover demonic activity.

"I guess we should go then," said Clary sounding a little disappointed.

Alec sighed and followed her and Izzy to the door when they heard a large gong sounding from somewhere, only the sound was lighter, more insubstantial… it felt like the sound was coming from everywhere. It engulfed them and invaded the space around them. The whole warehouse was empty except for a couple of boxes and a bike with no wheels.

"Where is that sound coming from?" Jace asked quickly inspecting the place with his eyes when suddenly he found a door hidden behind a large column of big, brown boxes. "Here, guys," he said as he jogged towards the door. Alec helped him move over the boxes while Isabelle cracked her whip while readying herself for a fight.

Jace tried to turn the knob slowly but it didn't budge; it was locked. "Let me," said Clary tracing an unlocking rune on the doorknob. It faded and she turned the rusty knob. She pushed the door open and what they saw inside froze them to where they were standing.

They were supposed to be extinct! No one had heard from them in centuries and we were glad, thought Jace. There had been confrontations between their kind and mine. They were the Lost Warriors, the Sacred Folk, the Children of the Fog, the Secret People… they were a secret, elite group of Shadowhunters.

Isabelle gasped and the whole lot of them, that had been sitting cross-legged in a circle, simultaneously whipped their heads towards the young Shadowhunters. They all had the same cold, black, bottomless pits for eyes, olive-toned skin that seemed to glow in the candle-light and long and slim limbs that gave them a spidery, willowy stance.

A man in about his late thirties spoke first looking directly at Jace. "Who dares disrupt our sacred rites?" he said in a deep-voice.

Jace didn't hesitate. "We're Shadowhunters," he said confidently. "just like you, brother."

He looked at Jace calmly. "We ceased our brotherhood with your folk hundreds of years ago, boy."

Jace clenched his jaw, he hated being called a boy. "Shadowhunters will be brothers no matter what," interjected Clary sharply. The thought of fellow Nephilim betraying and leaving their own kind made Jace's blood curl. And apparently so did Clary's.

"You should've told your father that, Clarissa Morgenstern," he said coolly and the smallest, most imperceptible ghost of a smile appeared on his mouth.

"How do you know who she is?" Jace asked ignoring the rage that bubbled up inside him at the mentioning of Valentine.

"Like you, we hear things," he said standing up. "We have heard many things about you Jace Lightwood. And of your sister Clarissa Morgenstern."

"She's not my sister," he snapped and heard Clary shift.

"Perhaps," he said intertwining his fingers.

Then, Jace knew. Jace knew the mysterious man knew about Clary and him. About Ithuriel's blood. How did they know? he thought. Don't ask me. But I was going to find out.

"Can we help you, young Shadowhunters?" he said looking at Alec and Isabelle.

Alec looked at Jace and his golden brother shrugged. "We had been alerted of a pack of Shax demons nesting in here but we came here tonight and there wasn't a trace of them. Not even left-over activity."

The man smiled and Jace noticed he was wearing hunting gear. In fact, all of them were wearing hunting gear. Just like the teenage Shadowhunters'. "We already took care of them. And quite a fight they put up."

The rest of the Shadowhunters were motionless and silent as mummies. They never once moved or said anything that showed they were alive except for their rigid backs and straight posture. Their olive skin glowed with black Marks and their marble-y, black eyes looked like they had seen a million years. Like they had sucked up all the knowledge in the world and it was just there in those shadowy pits. You just had to reach down and grab them. That is, without getting sucked in yourself and lost forever. Their eyes reminded Jace of someone but the thought slipped away as Isabelle's voice broke the eerie silence.

"Really?" she asked clearly impressed but then her face transformed into a doubtful one. "How come there was no trace of demonic activity?"

The mysterious man flashed an enigmatic smile. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." Suddenly the secluded room began to fill with a charcoal fog that engulfed the Lost Shadowhunters' bodies.

"Quick!" Jace yelled motioning to the others. "They're getting away!"

They all ran with their weapons. Isabelle whipped at air while Jace's slashes with his blade where wasted on dark, thin fog that once it dispersed the gang saw had eaten the Sacred Folk and taken them to whatever lair they lived in.

"Well, that was helpful," said Clary dropping on the dusty floor while Jace pushed back his curls aggravated. He had a feeling this random meeting between them and the Children of the Fog was no matter of chance. And he intended to figure out why they were here.

***

When Jace, Alec, Isabelle and Clary returned with a million more questions than they did when they left the Institute. Alec was beat because the Angel knows why, considering they hadn't even seen one demon. He retreaded silently to his personal cave and no one heard of him till morrow. Isabelle sighed dramatically and also disappeared into her room leaving Clary and Jace alone in the cold, stone walls of the Institute.

Clary discarded her bright yellow raincoat and placed her cherry-red Wellies under the coat-rack as she skipped towards the kitchen, their usual hanging spot.

Jace followed her. "Don't you have to go home?" he said condescendingly, knowing his tone infuriated her.

She turned around from the fridge holding a small bottle of orange juice and glaring at him with equal sourness, but her eyes shone with similar sweetness. Clary was like orange juice, a little sour at first, but as you got to know her she was surprisingly sweet and caring.

"It's still—" she said sneaking a look at her watch out of the corner of her eye while she gulped the orange juice. "Ten thirty, curfew's not till eleven."

Jace crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway just gazing at Clary. He did love her. Of that he was sure of. But their love had proven to be somewhat… chaotic. It was as if destiny had made them meet that night at Pandemonium so they could fall in love only so destiny could get a kick out of making their love more impossible every time. First, he thought she was a mundane, then he was relieved when he figured out she was a Shadowhunter. But their happy streak didn't last long when Valentine "confessed" their genealogy, dropping the you're-really-brother-and-sister bomb that drowned Jace in self-hate and self-disgust. Then, almost a year later, he reveled when he found out they weren't related and it was all just a scheme from Valentine. In the end, even though they could be as happy as a Shadowhunter could be they decided to end it. Well, actually Jace decided to end it. He was too shaken, too traumatized, too paranoid. He was afraid that if he let himself be and love Clary, yet another tragedy would fall upon them making their love forbidden once more.

"What are you thinking about?" she whispered standing very close to him. How had she gotten so close to him so quickly? He guessed the Shadowhunter within was showing.

"Us," he said with their foreheads pressed against each other.

"So was I," said Clary lifting her hand to tuck Jace's hair behind his ear.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you—"

She shushed him softly. "Don't. Just— let it be. For the tiniest moment just let it be. Let us be."

They stayed like that for long minutes. Staring at each other's eyes. Basking in each other's beauty. Clary drinking in his golden one and Jace in her unique one. After a while Clary closed her eyes and sighed. "I-I love you, Jace."

He sighed. "I love you too, Clary."

"Then why don't you—"

This time he shushed her. "Because like I've said before countless times, If I love you, I hurt you. And I can see you're already hurting which is why I can't stand the idea of you loving me," he said and her eyes got wide. "Not because I'm repulsed by you, but because I'm repulsed at myself and my ability to destroy everyone I love, and Clary—" her eyes were glassy and wet. Her lower lip was trembling and she had wrapped her little arms around his waist. "You're the thing I've loved the most in my life. Ever."

She crushed her body into his, just hugging him. Feeling his warmth, his love. She would've stayed like that forever if it was up to her. But it wasn't and she knew it. And as much as she wanted to deny it, everything that Jace has said was true.

She unlocked her arms from behind his back and wiped at the newfound tears. She hadn't noticed she was crying until now and she felt silly, like a little girl. "I… um, I have to get home," she said grabbing her coat and slipping on her Wellies, hurrying out the door.

The last thing he said was, "Good night," but she had already slammed the Institute door closed.

Jace sighed and felt more depressed than ever. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and walked towards the elevator pressing the button without looking. He leaned on the wall with his eyes closed while the elevator churned towards its destination. It stopped on his floor with a loud clang. Jace walked out and dragged his feet towards his room never once looking up or anywhere, he seemed to be in a dream-state, or more like a nightmare-state. He opened the door and threw his body on the bed when he felt something cold and soft underneath him. With a jolt he had jumped and pinned the thing underneath him.

A trembling and wide-eyed Dru was lying on the bed restrained by Jace's hands, a blue pen on her right hand an open notebook was splayed on the floor. Jace let go and sat down on top of her thighs looking as if he was about to burst with laughter. Dru on the other hand looked murderous.

"It's not funny!" she yelled as a snort escaped from Jace. "And would you please gett off me!" she said pushing him on the chest.

He laughed and got off from the bed looking around his room. If it was possible it had been tidier than how he had left it. And Jace was very tidy.

"Did you clean or something?" he asked.

Dru sat on the perfectly made and nodded while bed picking up the notebook which had many paragraphs in a deep blue color with a spidery penmanship

"Um… thanks," he said slightly confused. "Though a little unexpected."

She stole a brief look at him. "It was the least I could do for your hospitality," she said shrugging, not looking at him.

"Shadowhunters are family," he said with sudden lightness and sincerity, making him look even more heavenly. "We help each other, we stick together. We're brothers," he said that last part a little darkly, his bright golden eyes turning a shade darker.

She nodded. "Speaking of Shadowhunters… Could you please explain all of this to me? I've been living my entire life like a freak, no one sees the things I do and what I see… is not very pretty," she said gulping down the knot in her throat. "and… I'm scared, Jace."

He looked down at her deep dark eyes who pleaded at him to understand. To just understand and not to judge. "Hey," he said tilting her chin upwards then thinking better of himself, letting go. "No one's gonna judge you here. This is your home."

She smiled brightly and her black eyes glistened. "You have no idea how much that means to me. All my life I've felt lost, like I don't belong. And no one's ever accepted me; they treated me like I was some sort of freak."

He smiled slightly. "Not here, Dru. Not ever. I promise."

She nodded and before she could help herself she had thrown herself at Jace and hugged him. Tears fell down her eyes as she drank in his scent, still soapy and clean but with something else, something damp and enclosed. That was strange, she thought. He hugged her back, freed her long dark hair that was tangled between them, and twirled it around his fingers. She let go reluctantly and he held her by her cheeks. She still looked pale and tired but the soup, shower and rest from yesterday had liven her up and he saw the enticing beauty she hid. She had such amazing eyes. Black eyes you wanted to fall into and explore its murky depths. She had soft skin a tan shade that contrasted well with her pitch black hair with dark brown low-lights that caught in the light giving it a chocolatey color. And she was tall and long and lean and slim… so unlike Clary. Not necessarily better but certainly different. She kind of looked like Isabelle in some ways except for Izzy's pearly skin. But their beauties were completely contrasting. Whereas Isabelle was like a firework display with such beauty one had to look twice, Dru's was more hidden, trapped in a cocoon, that to really notice you had to look twice to catch a glimpse of it. But once you discovered her treasured beauty you couldn't deny it. It was there shining like a lost jewel everyone had missed in a dusty cupboard.

Before he knew it, he was kissing her. Her soft, perfectly shaped, pouty lips soft against his. He kneeled on the bed so they were both in the same position and height. She put her arms around his neck almost nonchalantly. He felt so at peace with her. So calm. That's how Dru made him feel. At peace. She made him forget all the demons, the betraying fathers and conniving brothers… everything seemed to fade into nothingness around Dru.

She had never kissed a boy in her life but she was pretty sure Jace had had his fair share of kisses before. Kissing Jace was like slipping into a bath of gold and morning sunlight, pure bliss. She had felt cold and distant her whole life. With the nuns reprimanding her for her "twisted ways" or her fellow orphans teasing her because she was "loony-ballooney" for seeing things. Well, now, with Jace, kissing him, she felt at home. She felt like she belonged, like no one would hurt her. She felt protected and secure. When she was with Jace every insecurity and fear evaporated because he held an air of superiority and invincibility that made her feel so good. Plus, he was really good looking. No one could really blame her.

"Jace?" she whispered against his lips.

"Mm-hmm?" he murmured roping her long hair to the side while his other hand played with the double-pierced ear. It had been like that since she was a baby when she first arrived at the orphanage. The nuns had found it preposterous but there was nothing they could do. Who pierces their daughter twice in one lobe and then leaves her to the orphanage? she thought sadly.

She slowly pushed Jace away and he looked dazed and groggy which made her smile. "Where were we?"

Jace looked lost for a second. "What do you mean?"

Dru smirked. "Weren't you going to explain everything now?

"Oh, right, well… where do I start?" he said sitting down in the bed. Dru copied him and looked at him expectantly, desperately trying to ignore the fact she had just kissed Jace. "Why don't we start with your story first?"

Dru's face darkened bleakly making her look intimidating, even to Jace, even though he would never admit it. "I was practically born at the orphanage. I don't recall any memories before it. My first memory and last…" she said taking a deep breath. "are from that place," she said spitting the word 'place'. "I was the oldest in the orphanage and I was usually and imaginative, quiet and isolated kid but somewhat normal. I sticked to drawing and reading mostly. But that all changed when I was about ten or eleven," she said squinting her eyes, as if the answer lay hidden in the air in front of her and would be revealed if she focused her eyes more. "We were in Central Park and I was with the other kids playing near a clear pond when I saw girls swimming towards me. They were so beautiful," she said as if she were in a trance. "They had translucent skin, big black eyes, long platinum blonde hair that stuck to her wet skin. But her smile was terrifyingly beautiful, they could lure anyone to them and could mesmerize the strongest-willed men to turn into spineless fools. All I remember was hearing someone screech my name at the top of their voice and a pair of hands hauling me out of the water. I thought they were mermaids—"

"Nymphs," interrupted Jace with a dark grin. "The slimiest of water faeries. They seduce men into kissing them and before you know it—BAM!—she's dragging you to the bottom of her little pond and you're dead."

"They sound a lot like mermaids," said Dru clearly interested.

Jace chuckled. "Yes, but mermaids live in sea water and water nymphs don't have tails. I hate the lot of them, I guess the most acceptable of them are the selkies."

Dru nodded slowly memorizing Jace's every word. "But enough of my ranting about the nefarious ways of the lustful nymphs. Go on…"

"Well, since then the kids started talking about the weird kid who talked to space," I said aggravated. "Or as the stupid girl who fell in the pond," she said chuckling bitterly.

Jace just sat there in silent, nodding.

"So the years went by without any friends, I saw weirder things every day, girls with strange colored skin, flimsy dresses and devious smiles, pale men and women with pitch-black hair and sharp teeth, large half-humans with yellow eyes and claws instead of nails and the strangest people walking down the street as if they looked completely normal. Some of them had large black bat wings or bright cat eyes with colorful sparks shooting from their fingertips… Mostly strange-looking people but sometimes it was too much to bear," she said, a shadow passing across her features. "Ravenous, evil, monstrous creatures tormenting human beings, destroying and contaminating everything in their path. Some of them looked like horror-movie monsters, others," she closed her eyes flinching. "Looked almost human. With their paste-on smiles and friendly pats on the backs they lured people into doing… bad things, really bad things. It was as if they were hypnotized." She stopped suddenly and sighed. "I learned to tune it out. I became somewhat blind, ignoring the humans' silent cries for help and the naughty doings of the half-people," she shuddered while looking out the small window. It was the middle of the night and still, the millions of cars, limousines and taxis drove through the city as if it were three in the afternoon. The infinite lights made the whole scenery look like a piece of the universe where every light was a star and all the cars were nebulae and galaxies. The skyscrapers could be the pillars of creation, she thought dorkily. "I ignored everything."

Jace was quiet for a moment. "It wasn't your fault," he said almost in a whisper and Dru remembered she wasn't supposed to exist to the rest of the Institute. "You were abandoned by your family, a grave thing to do for a Shadowhunter," he said bleakly. "You didn't know what to do, you didn't even know what was right or wrong—"

"But that's the thing, Jace!" she said a little louder than she intended making Jace, that was sitting lazily on the bed, flinch. "I knew that I was wrong. Something in my gut said to stop those creatures!"

Tears were rolling down her coal-colored eyes. "But I didn't! Jace, I'm just as bad as them!"

Galvanized, Jace stood up and went to comfort her. "Believe me, you're not—"

"Get away from me!" she yelled at him and he froze. "J-just… leave me alone, I… I don't deserve any of this," she said pushing him away and stomping towards the door but when she went to open it she clenched her fist. She turned around abruptly sobbing. "I can't, Jace," she said coldly. "I should leave."

Jace stood there looking at her impassively. "If that's what you want," he snapped.

She stared back with eyes filled with tears and sorrow. "It's what I want," she said, her voice cracking on 'want'.

"Then go!" Jace yelled enraged. "Just— go! Go already! If that's what you want, then leave!"

Dru bit the inside of her lip. "I can't," she whispered.

Jace grimaced. "Why?"

She wanted to say she couldn't leave him, that she had grown to care for him… Instead she said, "They'll see me," she said in a barely audible whisper.

Jace closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Just… we'll wait till they're asleep then you can leave. Happy?"

Dru clenched her jaw. She hated when people said that. "Perfect," she said giving him a fake smile.

"Fine," he said walking to the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" she asked crossing her arms.

He stopped midway. "You think you're the only one that can hog this bathroom?" he said with an almost friendly smirk.

She smirked back and shrugged as he closed the door to the bathroom she had practically been living in. She walked towards Jace's drawer and picked out the same long-sleeved shirt and green basketball pants and waited until Jace got out from her shower.

Meanwhile…

"Jace is going to get a piece of my mind!" said Isabelle just outside the door.

Moving faster than she thought she could, Dru dived under Jace's bed just as Isabelle came in storming. "JACE LIGHTWOOD!"

"Oh goodness," whispered Dru flatted down on the carpeted floor.

She heard Isabelle walk over to the bathroom door and pound on it. "What is it?" Jace yelled through the noise of the shower.

"You come out this instant, mister!" she yelled pacing around the room.

"I'm in the shower, you idiot," he yelled back. "I can't get out now!"

Isabelle sighed dramatically. "It's important, plus you're my brother, plus just get in a towel and get out NOW!"

"Isabelle, what is so important?"

"The Lost Shadowhunters!" she yelled.

In that instant Dru heard the bathroom door slam open. "WHAT about the Lost Shadowhunters?"

"Jeesh, calm down… it's nothing," muttered Isabelle sounding a little bit sheepish and embarrassed sitting down on the bed.

"BY THE ANGEL, Isabelle if you dragged me out of the shower for nothing, I swear I will kill you!"

Isabelle hesitated. "Well, you see…"

"Isabelle…" Jace warned.

"Um, someone…" she laughed a fake laugh. "ate my—this is so funny—my last guava pastry."

Everything was quiet for a second and Dru thought Jace wasn't mad, but then she heard Jace yell, Isabelle scream the shrillest screech ever and little running steps that ended with the loudest slamming of a door in the history of forever.

She lay on the ground not knowing what to expect of Jace, if he even remembered she was there or if he had completely forgotten about her. For a moment, the thought of Jace forgetting about her made her shoulders feel a ton heavier.

"You can come out now, Dru," said Jace and Dru heard the smile in the way he spoke. "Come out, come out wherever you are."

Dru smiled and slithered from under the bed startling Jace. "God, woman! I thought you were in the wardrobe," he said pointing at the cherry wardrobe that was half-open. A body certainly could fit there. That's always good to know, she though mischievously. She stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes, it was futile though, 'cause she had already cleaned this room.

"Shut up, I'm still mad at you," she muttered, crossing her eyes but cracked at smile at Jace's skeptical smirk. "The wardrobe would've been too conspicuous," she said grinning.

"Yes, because hiding under the bed isn't," said Jace sarcastically. "Really original."

"Shut up," she said smacking him lightly on the arm while walking towards the steamy shower.

"Wait," he said grabbing her arm with such force she twirled and almost crashed into his naked chest. That's when she realized he was only wearing a towel.

Suddenly, all the thoughts of their kiss flooded Dru's brain making her slighty dizzy. "Jace…?"

His golden eyes traveled from her eyes where they hesitated on her lips then back to her eyes again. "Jace?" she asked again.

He looked at his/her clothes, his eyes stopped at her lips for a moment and flew to her eyes quickly, as if his staring at her lips would move him to do something he'd regret. "You forgot my—" he smiled softly. "Your boxers," he whispered. And reluctantly let go of her arm.

"But seriously, Jace. Did you eat my guava pastry—?"

Jace's and Dru's heads shot to the door where a stunned Isabelle stood.

Isabelle slowly turned to look accusingly at Jace. "Would you care to explain?"

Jace looked as if someone had told him they had found out about his Barbie doll collection or something.

"Hi, Isabelle, I'm Dru," she said with a little wave and a nervous smile.


	3. Not A Hooker

**Author's Note:** I know I'm late but please, PLEASE, don't worry about me not continuing this story. Unless I state otherwise, this story will be up and running… even if it's a little late. Okay, fine… a lot late!

Chapter Three

No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Those where the thoughts going through Jace's head when he saw Isabelle standing there. His plan was going so well, that is until Isabelle, ever considerate, barged into his room.

"Well?" asked Isabelle again, her eyes looking as if they might shoot out of her head.

Jace sighed. "Isabelle—"

"Is she one of your…?" Isabelle asked with a slimy tone.

Dru's eyes got wide and she stepped away from Jace abruptly. "One of your whats?

Jace made a pained face. "One of my nothings," he said calmly at Dru. "Isabelle, really?"

"I don't know what or who you do up here but—"

"WHAT?" yelled Dru giving Jace a disbelieving look.

"No, I don't do anyone here," he pleaded at Dru. "Isabelle's just a little… dramatic, that's all."

Dru looked like she had just been dipped in a vat of honey only to be fed Lima beans. Utterly baffled.

"Jace… just tell me if she's a— you know! I don't care if she is, I'll just leave you alone."

Dru stepped towards Isabelle angrily, they were both the same height which shocked Isabelle a little. "I. Am. Not. A. Hooker. Got it, Princess?"

Isabelle looked as if someone had slapped her and Jace couldn't supress a chuckle.

"Shut up!" she yelled aghast. "Who is this girl, Jace?"

Jace and Dru exchanged a knowing look and at the same time grabbed Isabelle by her arms and restrained her until she cooperated. Then they proceeded to tell her the whole story to which she listened to surprisingly patiently. When Dru and Jace were done Isabelle looked at them for a moment.

"So, you stayed here last night?" she asked.

Dru nodded.

"And you slept in this room?"

Dru frowned. "Um… yes."

Isabelle smirked smugly. "Well…"

"What?" asked Dru.

"You're telling me that you spent the night in Jace's room without no one knowing you were here and nothing happened? Please."

Dru looked offended. "I don't know what kind of girl you are but I don't sleep with the first guy I meet," she said and stalked off to sit on the chair Jace had used as a bed.

Isabelle looked at Jace as if not believing he had invited her to the Institute. He just shrugged and smirked to himself. "Are you sure she's a Shadowhunter, Jace?"

Jace looked at the ceiling, his pale neck stretched and there for the taking, either to kiss or slit. "Yes, Iz, she is," he said annoyed. "She can see the Shadow World."

Isabelle made an impatient sound. "So? How do you know she's not a Downworlder?"

"I just do, okay?" he snapped angrily at Isabelle who looked taken aback.

She stood up from the bed and shot daggers at Jace with her gaze. "She's not Clary, you know?" She gave Dru one last glare and stormed out of the room.

Dru looked at Jace nervously. Would he kick her out, now? Did he think she was a Downworlder? Whatever that was, she only knew it couldn't be good. "Clary's the girl that was looking for her sketch pad, right?"

Still looking at the ceiling Jace nodded.

"Why did Isabelle say I wasn't her?" she asked stepping closer to him.

He finally looked at her, he looked tired and his eyes were blood-shot. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. "Because Clary… When I first found her she didn't know about the Shadow World either. But she was… is a Shadowhunter. So was her mother… and her father," he finished darkly.

"There's more to it. I know there  
>is," she said pushing him.<p>

He sighed. "I fell in love with Clary but later found out she was my sister," he sighed and chuckled darkly. "But then I found out our father wasn't really my father."

"So you must've been happy?" Dru asked stepping even closer to him.

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "'Must' being the keyword."

She looked at Jace. And in her eyes, no matter the things she had found out and would find out about him, he would always be perfect.

He looked down at her but his eyes met her mouth. He had grown too accustomed to Clary's height. He looked up at her and their eyes were almost level. She was a tiny bit shorter than him but not by much. "Can I kiss you?" he whispered on her lips.

She stared at his eyes. "No, Jace. I don't wanna break you even more than you already are."

"You have no idea," he said smiling that suffering smile of his.

She stepped back and saw he had noticed. "Still scared of me raping you, I see," he said.

She didn't smile even though she thought it was funny. It wasn't a smiling time. "No, I'm scared of Isabelle telling."

Jace shook his head tangling his curls even more. "Too late, the High Warlock of Brooklyn already knows."

Dru's eyes got wide. "Oh no," she gasped.

Jace chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not that big a deal."

"How come?" she asked confused.

"You'll see," he said taking her hand and walking towards the door.

She hesitated when they reached it and he looked at her. "I think I've developed Stockholm Syndrome," she muttered and Jace laughed. A real laugh that made his eyes shine.

"I could totally use that to my advantage," he said with a smirk.

"All those little abysmal pick-up lines are a waste of breath. If you wanted me in your bed all you had to do was ask," she said looking him up and down. "It's not like I can say no."

Jace's eyebrows shot upwards in shock. He blinked and nodded to himself. "I might just have to take you up on that," he said turning the doorknob.

To Jace's and surely Dru's surprise, Magnus was standing in front of their door in all his glittery and colorful glory.

"Magnus?" Jace asked.

Magnus smiled brightly. "The one and only, my lovelies! Now," he said, taking Jace's and Dru's arm and dragging them down the hall making the alarms in Dru's mind go off. She really had developed some sort of paranoia or something. "thanks to my warlock hearing, someone's been naughty," he said giving both Jace and Dru a mischievous smile making Dru blush. "Oh, don't worry, darling. When you meet the whole lot of us you'll see how perverted being with Jace and Isabelle Lightwood makes you. I see he's already affected you," he said matter-of-factly.

Dru looked helplessly at Jace but he just shrugged nonchalantly. "Um… excuse me Mr. Magnus—"

"Mr. Bane, actually," he said cheerily.

"Mr. Bane—"

"But you can call me Magnus," he said smiling.

Dru sighed. "Very well, then, Magnus, you said you're a warlock, right?"

"Yeeees?" he said drawing out the word nervously making Dru smile.

"You're a Downworlder, then? That's what the word means, right?"

"Yes, it does mean that," he said looking at Jace. "I see Jace has taught you well." Magnus looked at Dru with a slinky smile and she noticed his bright green cat eyes.

"Oh, your eyes—" she said but caught her tongue.

To Dru's surprise, Magnus smiled. "A lot of people say the same thing. It's not humbling to hear your eyes are the most terrifyingly precious things they've ever seen!"

"What is this all about, Magnus?" Jace asked in a tired, bored voice that sounded distant to Dru. It seemed as if he had… walled himself up because the usual glint in Jace's eyes disappeared.

Magnus sighed dramatically, looking eerily similar to Isabelle. "Well, Izzy told us all about Dru the Hooker and—"

"I'm not a hooker!" protested Dru.

"Oh, I know," Magnus said in a conversational tone and looked her up and down. "If you were, you'd dress better."

Dru stared at this colorful man completely astounded. Apparently the people at the Institute lacked something called prudence.

"Well, as I was saying," he continued. "Iz told us about Dru and how she was a stupid bitch who was taking advantage of the Institute's hospitality and deserved to be burned or at least hanged…"

"She said that?" Dru asked devilishly.

"Oops, don't tell her I told you," begged Magnus.

"Don't worry, Magnus, I won't say a thing."

Magnus made a relieved sound. "Thank God, Izzy'd kill me. Anyway, so I was like 'why don't you bring the girl so we can meet her and see what she's like'? But darling Isabelle was all 'I'm not going over there to bring back that hag'. So I went up myself because anyone knows Alec wouldn't even dare," he said with a loving glimmer in his eyes. Dru saw Magnus clearly doted on that Alec boy and was glad to hear not everything in the Institute was gloom and doom or cat fights and tequila. "And here I am!"

Dru looked at Jace but he rolled his eyes to Magnus as this one pushed them inside the elevator. Magnus pressed the lobby button and they waited anxiously while Magnus hummed to 'Material Girl' by Madonna. The elevator churned signaling its stop and the rusty gate slid open. Church the cat trotted towards them in the dimly lit hallway, sniffed Magnus and curled around my feet.

"Hi, boy," Dru said ruffling his fur and he slipped away with a sneeze.

"Crazy old cat," muttered Jace and Dru looked up at his first, slight show of emotion.

He looked at her and a little flash of the usual Jace showed through his golden eyes but it was soon replaced by a cold, indifferent gaze. Dru sighed a little bit confused and turned to look at Magnus who was already waiting by the kitchen's doorway clapping eagerly.

"Let's get this over with," Jace said and Dru couldn't help glaring at him. Thankfully, Jace was too busy glaring at air.

"Magnus," called a soft boy's voice.

"I'll be right there, Alec honey," Magnus sang motioning Dru and Jace to hurry.

Dru stopped abruptly and grabbed Jace's arm where his muscles tensed at her touch, almost as if he didn't want her to touch him. "Will they hate me, Jace?" Dru asked.

Jace refused to look at Dru and answered while looking impassively at the wall. "Probably."

Dru tsked and let go of Jace's arm brusquely. "Someone went from asking for a kiss to an irritating ass in a second," she said storming towards Magnus while Jace stared at the spot where she had been standing.

"Everyone!" said Magnus with great flourish. "May I present you the one and only, Dru the Hooker!" Magnus began clapping enthusiastically but Alec just stared at Magnus anxiously while Isabelle looked everywhere except at Dru.

Dru stepped in and crosses her arms. "I told you I'm not a hooker," she said through clenched teeth giving Magnus a death-glare.

"I know, honey," he said dismissively pushing her towards the kitchen table where Isabelle and a very beautiful black haired boy was sitting rather hunched.

Isabelle had her arms crossed and was balancing herself on the chair. "This is such a waste of time," she breathed through her mouth.

"Alec, honey," said Magnus inching towards the dark haired boy that must've been Alec. "Don't you want to say hello to Dru the—not-hooker?"

Alec hesitated but looked up eventually. Dru noticed he had the most deep-colored eyes she had ever seen before. She could tell why Magnus liked him in the first place. Alec was truly gorgeous, maybe not in an ostentatious way like Jace but in a rather shadowed way, almost obscured.

"Um… hello," he said standing up and extending a shaky, pale hand. "Dru, right?" he said in a soft tone.

She smiled encouragingly. "Yes, Dru Dukas. Nice to meet you, Alec," she said shaking his hand amiably.

He gave her the slightest of smiles and sat back down, his head even more hunched that earlier.

"Ignore him, Dru," said Magnus caressing Alec's ink colored hair making the pale boy blush fervently. "Alec's a bit shy around new people."

Dru smiled politely and nodded at him. His eyes shone as Alec looked up at him with a half-annoyed, half-loving secret smile and Dru smiled along loving how adorable and perfect they looked together even if she barely even knew them. Magnus a whirlwind of color and Alec almost a shadow who was hard to notice.

"See?" said Alec towards Isabelle who still wasn't looking at Dru, or anyone for that matter. "We're all friends now," he coaxed.

"Sure, because being cold and distant with a person equals instant friendship," said Jace from the doorway startling Dru.

She turned around to glare at him but his hard eyes had returned to their warm, spell-binding spark. Dru smirked.

"Great, you're here," said Isabelle straightening up and finally looked at everyone, including Dru. "Now, tell me, Jace. What do you pretend to do with that one?"

Dru took a deep breath but Jace cut her off before she could blurt whatever insult was on her mind. "That one…" he said giving Isabelle a pointed glare. "Is staying here until we figure out who her parents are."

They all stared and Jace sighed frustrated. "Dru is an orphan and she came her last night thinking this Institute was abandoned. She wanted a safe place to live."

Alec was gaping, clearly shocked. Magnus was gripping Alec's shoulder as if he were about to faint and Isabelle looked begrudgingly embarrassed.

"What kind of Shadowhunters leave their daughter to an orphanage? A mundane one?" whispered Alec.

"That's what I thought," said Jace leaning on the kitchen counter.

"We have to find your parents," said Alec grabbing a note pad from one of the kitchen drawers and a cap-less, ball point pen from some hotel.

Jace rolled his eyes. "Wow, what a great idea, wish I had thought of it," he said sarcastically.

"Let's go out!" blurted Magnus.

"What?" asked Jace glaring at him.

"Everyone seems so gloomy… or pissed off," he said sternly looking at Isabelle and Jace when he said that last part.

"I don't think so, Magnus," muttered Alec. "I don't think it's such a good idea right now," he said stealing a fleeting look at Dru.

"I'm always up for some clubbing," said Isabelle returning her gaze to the refrigerator.

"Absolutely not," exclaimed Jace. "Are you people nuts? Sometimes I wonder about your sanity. You can't resolve your problems with partying and—"

"Jace!" interjected Isabelle. "Shut up."

He made a rude gesture in return making Alec shake his head.

"So, what's your take, orphan?" asked Isabelle, poison dripping from her voice.

"Whatever you guys want. I'm in no position to demand anything."

"Great! So we're going?" asked Magnus clapping cheerily.

"No!" said both Alec and Jace at the same time.

"Okay," said Isabelle with a smile. "Let's get ready!"

Jace groaned and stormed out of the kitchen. Dru stood there uncomfortably, not knowing wether to go after Jace or staying there with those people that obviously disliked her.

She felt Isabelle's glare pierce her skull. "Go ahead and follow him like a lost puppy."

Dru glared but even she knew Isabelle was right. She just couldn't seemed to function without Jace. No matter how enraged he made her it was like he was some sort of lighthouse. She owed him for taking her in. She was dependent on him and she didn't like it.

She knocked on Jace's door. "Jace?" she said softly.

Nothing.

She knocked a little louder and before she knew it the door was being thrown open and Jace was leaning on the doorway uncomfortably close. Dru took a step back and saw how Jace's lifeless eyes shone with an amused spark.

"You do know there are other three people in this Institute and over 100 rooms. Yet you find yourself being drawn to mine, why is that?" he asked sarcastically.

Dru bit the inside of her lip. "Maybe because Isabelle hates me and I'm not going to show up on Alec's and ask him to hang out. Awkward, much?"

He grinned and Dru couldn't help noticing how gorgeous he was. It wasn't natural. Inhuman, almost.

"And can't you get your own room? I have a feeling you're staying here for a while.",

Dru looked down. "Oh…"

Jace smiled. "C'mon," he said putting his hand on her shoulder and turning Dru around. "Let's get you a room."

The Lightwoods inhabited the hall closest to the elevator and Dru asked Jace if she could get a room as farthest as possible. He had asked why and she answered that she didn't understand people's dislike of isolation. Jace didn't see anything unacceptable with the idea so he let Dru choose the room most far way from him and the others.

He stood on her door not knowing what to say. "Um… sure you want to be this far away?"

Dru smiled. "Already missing me?"

Jace laughed. "Okay, then. Later—oh, you should start getting ready if you wanna go out."

Dru stared at him completely confused. "Wait, I thought you weren't going!"

Jace scrunched up his brow making him look cuter, if that was possible. "What makes you say that?"

"Um… maybe because you said you didn't want to go!" Dru was totally baffled.

"So? Just because I want or don't want something doesn't mean that's stopping Isabelle from getting her way."

"But— How come— Oh, forget it!" she said as she slammed the door to her room.

Knowing his fair share about women, Jace waited until Dru reappeared. She opened the door and was surprised to see Jace sanding there. She was about to speak but Jace cut her off. "You need something to wear, right?"

Dru smiled. "How did you know?"

"I've been living with Izzy my entire life and Clary's always com—" he stopped himself. "Uh… anyway, I'll sneak you something from Izzy's closet."

Dru nodded seriously, the mood dampened by the mention of Clary. "Something decent please," she warned.

Jace smirked boyishly. "Sure," he said sarcastically.

Jace must've come in her room while she was showering because lying on her bed was a cute, little navy dress. It was surprisingly conservative… or as conservative as a dress can be while still looking nice. It was made of a silky fabric of a slightly shimmery navy blue color, it was one shoulder and little crystals were sewn from the shoulder and bust where they were all clustered and they faded apart slowly, looking like lonely stars in the night sky as they descended on the skirt.

She threw it on just as someone knocked on the door, she expected Jace but shockingly a glittering Isabelle stood there with crossed arms and a grim face.

"Isabelle!" exclaimed Dru. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Isabelle sighed. "Jace made me come here and doll you up," she said in a monotonic voice.

"Oh, thanks a lot, Isabelle but you don't have to—"

"Just come on and I'll help you put on some make-up, 'kay?"

"Uh, sure," she said following Isabelle out.

"And why do you have to get a room so far away?" she asked.

"I like solitude," Dru responded simply and Isabelle didn't ask any more questions.

Once in Isabelle's room, Dru felt completely overwhelmed. The room was very colorful and messy. There were clothes on the bed, empty water bottles, make-up strewn across the floor… it was a world-class mess. She wondered how Jace felt inside knowing he was a clean freak like her. Isabelle made her sit on the vanity table and turned her around so her back was to the mirror. She began to protest but Isabelle cut her off saying Dru couldn't see herself until she finished. After about forty excruciating minutes of Isabelle tinkering, and rubbing and brushing she finally let Dru see herself on the mirror.

Dru was… kind of shocked. She wasn't one of those girls that thought she wasn't special and ugly. Sure, some days she didn't feel her best but she was confident in herself. But the girl looking at her on the mirror was someone else… she was some bold, sexy cat-woman who got whatever she wanted with a bat of her lashes… and she liked that. She saw Isabelle giving her a rueful but friendly smile and she turned towards her and extended her long, slim hand.

"Thank you," said Dru. "Really, I appreciate it."

Isabelle stared at Dru's hand. "Seriously? A hand shake?"

Dru hesitated. "Don't worry about it. It was my pleasure." said Isabelle walking Dru out the door. "Now leave so I can finish my last touches."

Dru smiled. "Okay… thanks."

Isabelle leaned on the open door, Dru was stepping back and was about to say thanks again when Isabelle's smile dropped. "Okay, you can stop with the charade and go find Jace!"

Dru was more shocked about the comment rather than at the door almost breaking her nose. At first she was upset Isabelle thought like that but then she noticed Isabelle's slightly playful smirk and teasing tone and decided to let it go. Maybe Isabelle was that kind of person, she thought non-judgmentally; she was already overstaying her welcome she didn't want to be all judgy after they (more likely, Jace) had given her refuge, food and a gorgeous dress… but for what?

"Hello, Alec," said Dru walking in on Magnus affectionatelly fixing Alec's hair. Alec blushed and stuttered trying to explain. "Don't blush, I think it's cute," she said winking, making the poor Alec blush more deeply.

Alec tried to hide under his faded sweater while Magnus turned around with a smile and when he looked at Dru his cat eyes widened like an owl's. "You look gorgeous!"

It was Dru's turn to blush now. "Please…"

"No, no, no!" Magnus insisted helping her up. "That dress is fabulous!"

"It's Isabelle's," she said modestly.

"No, it's not," said Magnus with a confused frown.

"Well, it's not mine," said Dru even more confused. "I only brought the clothes on my back, plus, I could never afford a dress like this."

"Honey, I've raided Izzy's closet and I've never seen this dress before," said Magnus twirling Dru around to inspect her.

He looked her up and down and froze when he saw her shoes. "Please tell me you are not wearing those," said Magnus pointing at her rugged high-tops.

Dru smiled abashedly. "I don't have anything else…"

"Don't look at me like that," said Magnus with a sly grin. "You look like Cinderella, as if you expect me to be your Fairy Godmother…"

"Magnus…" reproached Alec.

"Oh, but Alec, darling… it's been so long and you know I can't wear them."

Alec rolled his eyes. "You know that if you go you won't come back! You never do…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Dru confused.

"Magnus, don't," said Alec firmly.

Magnus grinned widely. "Too late!" and before Dru could process her thoughts Magnus was gone.

Alec banged his head on the kitchen table. "That man doesn't have any restraints whatsoever."

Dru smiled. "Okay, I have no idea where he went but I'm sure he'll return, it didn't seem like he would be for long," she said sitting down next to Alec.

"You don't know Magnus," he said exhausted. "Where he's going is like the Mecca for him; I probably won't see him for days."

"I doubt that," said Dru.

Alec gave her a curious look. "He loves you," said Dru.

Alec blushed slighty. "I know," he said, looking at Dru with a sincerely happy smile; she returned it.

Suddenly, the shadow of a towering figure appeared over Alec and Dru. They turned around quickly and saw Magnus staring at them with eyes like slits. "And to think I was bringing you shoes," he said giving Dru the evil eye while placing both hands on Alec's shoulder. "And I find you flirting with my lovely Alec!"

It took several seconds for Dru to realize what was happening. "Oh!" she exclaimed with wide eyes. "No, I- I wasn't, Magnus. I would never!"

Magnus' scowl transformed into a joking grin. "I know, I was only kidding!"

Alec put his head in his hands, clearly exasperated while Dru just laughed joyously at the two of them and how in love they were, it was nice for her to see that. It had been so long since she had seen true love.

"Okay, let's go, people," said Isabelle wearing more glitter than was possible, almost rivaling Magnus.

Jace came in behind her and when he saw Dru he had to look twice to check if it was really her. He smiled genuinely at her and as if some invisible force had taken control of him, he walked towards her and ignored everyone else completely.

"You look…" he looked her up and down as she stood up to leave. He gulped. "Nice."

Dru's face fell disappointedly and Jace took notice of it and he quickly explained his answer. "I mean, you look… really nice," he said emphasizing the word really.

Dru smiled loop-sidedly at the fact that she actually made a boy nervous, a boy none other than Jace.

Isabelle rolled her eyes and walked to the door dragging Jace—breaking him off from his reverie— and Alec behind her making Dru hurried behind trying to catch up with the high heels Magnus had chosen for her.

She stopped at the door and turned around to see Magnus staring at her amusedly. "You couldn't have chosen shoes less uncomfortable than these."

He grinned. "That's how you know they're fabulous," he said disappearing in a poof to God-knows-where. He was the one with the idea to go clubbing.

She smiled and walked outside where Isabelle was already hailing a cab and Dru had to run somewhat unstably to meet with them before Isabelle lost her patience and left Dru to make for her own.

Already in the cab Dru turned to Jace who was watching Isabelle argue with the cab driver in the front seat. He looked at her with a lazy smile. "So…" she said.

"What?" he asked chuckling.

"Nothing," she mumbled looking at her lap.

"What?" he asked smiling wider.

She looked at him from underneath her lashes. " Just that you look… nice."

Author's Note: Okay, so nothing really happens in this chapter but don't worry, from the next one on it will be more… intense. Let's just say that clubbing with the Shadowhunters never turns out to be just clubbing.


End file.
